Windguard structure for pyrophoric cigarette lighter



y 30, 1961 J. c. LOCKWOOD 2,986,027

WINDGUARD STRUCTURE FOR PYROPHORIC CIGARETTE LIGHTER Original Filed Feb.12, 1957 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. JOHN C. LOCKWOOD BY @wwt mi-4M:

J. 'c. LocKwooD 2,986,027

May 30, 1961 WINDGUARD STRUCTURE FOR PYROPI-IORIC CIGARETTE LIGHTER 3Sheets-Sheet 2 Original Filed Feb. 12, 1957 Fig.

Fig.5

2 I mmvron JOHN C. Lac/(W000 ATTORNEYS y 30, 1961 J. c. LocKwooD2,986,027

WINDGUARD STRUCTURE FOR PYROPHORIC CIGARETTE LIGHTER Original Filed Feb.12, 1957 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR. JOHN C. LOCKWUOD QWHZ -r QfCk -MAS 4TI'OPNEVS United States Patent" WINDGUARD STRUCTURE FOR PYROPHORICCIGARETTE LIGHTER John C. Lockwood, Atlanta, Ga., assignor to Scripto,Inc., a corporation of Georgia Original application Feb. 12, 1957, Ser.No. 639,725. and this application Aug. 26, 1958, Ser. No.

2 Claims. (Cl. 67-7.1)

This invention relates to pyrophoric lighters such as pocket lighters ofthe type commonly used to light cigarettes, cigars, and pipes, and morespecifically, to a windguard lighter having a transparent fuel reservoirwhich is normally sealed to the atmosphere, therebypreventingneyaporation, while having means to open said reservoir andtransfer the fuel from the reservoir to a wick chamber, and thus providean instantaneously usable fuel supply therein.

In the past, windguard lighters which have operated successfullyoutdoors were not likewise suitable for indoor operation due to aconstruction which would provide too rich a fuel-air mixture at thewick. This was caused essentially by the windguard constructionpreventing sufficient air movement within the confines of the windguardwhen the lighter was used indoors. Also, the spark wheels were sopositioned with respect to the wick that the sparks which were producedwere in a space which had a saturated fuel-air mixture, and this did notlend itself readily to instantaneous combustion. In addition, windguardlighters were generally constructed with the spark wheel assemblypermanently fixed to the lighter body, thereby making it diflicult toclean the upper portion of the lighter. The replacement of a flint inthe spark wheel assembly also involved a tedious manipulation inpositioning the flint and compressing the flint follower spring inalignment therewith when reassembling the unit.

An object of this invention is to provide a lighter which is light inweight, convenient to operate, economical to manufacture, and attractivein appearance.

Another object of this invention is to provide a lighter whereby theuser can visually determine when the fuel supply in the reservoir needsreplenishing.

A further object of this invention is to provide a lighter whereby thefuel reservoir is sealed to the atmosphere except when the transfervalve is opened to allow fuel to be admitted to the wick chamber.

Another object of this invention is to provide for the location of thefuel transfer valve in a location where it is readily accessible to theuser.

A further object of this invention is to provide means whereby the fueltransfer from the reservoir to the wick chamber may be accomplishedrapidly, and thus avoid the requirement of maintaining the entire fuelsupply in the wick chamber as is found in usual lighter arrange ments. 7

Another object of this invention is to provide a spark wheel assemblywhich is so designed that the replacement of a flint may be easilyaccomplished.

Another object of this invention is to provide for placement of the wickand windguard assembly in proper space relation to the spark wheelassembly whereby ready ignition may be accomplished, and at the'sametime, provide protective means against extinguishment of the flame.

Other objects will become apparent when taken in con- 2,986,027 PatentedMay 30, 19 1 Fig. 4 is a cross sectional view of the lighter taken sub-I stantially along line 44 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is an end elevation detail further illustrating the arrangementof the windguard from the position in dicated by line 5-5 in Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is a cross sectional view of the wick chamber, takensubstantially along line 6-6 of Fig. 4; and

Fig. 7 is an exploded perspective view showing the component parts atthe top of the lighter.

Referring now in detail to the embodiment chosen for purposes ofillustration, and to Figs. 1 to 4 at first in par ticular, a fuelreservoir shell forming a lower body sec-' tion of the lighter isgenerally denoted by numeral 10. This fuel reservoir 10 is formed oftransparent material and has upstanding end walls 11 and side walls 12with a bottom 13 through which a filling passage 14 extends that isfitted with a metal insert 15 threaded to receive a fill plug 16, aninwardly facing shoulder of fill plug 16 carrying a sealing washer 17 toseat at a shoulder 18 of the filling passage 14.

A center body section of the lighter, which is generally denoted bynumeral 19, is permanently fixed to the fuel reservoir shell 10. Centerbody section 19 is formed with a channel 20 which extends at a slightincline to the horizontal and communicates laterally with reservoirshell 10 and with a wick chamber 21, and opens at an exterior surface ofthe center body section 19. Channel 20 communicates with wick chamber 21at an aperture 22 and with reservoir shell 10 at a recess in the lowerface of center body section 19 as indicated by nu} meral 23. The recess23 is proportioned so as to form an annular shoulder 24 about theopening of the chan;- nel 20 therein, and the channel 20 is enlarged indiameter at a portion thereof extending beyond the wick chamber aperture22 to the exterior surface of the center body section 19 so as to forman outwardly facing annular shoulder at 25 therein. Extendingreciprocably through channel 20 is a valve stem 26 which is fitted atits inward end within the center body section recess 23 with a valvehead or button 27, such fitting being accomplished in the embodimentchosen for illustration by two crimps 28 which are made in the valvehead walls degrees apart to grip a circumferential groove 29 at theinwardly extending end portion of the valve stem 26. The valve head 27is cup-like in shape with an extending annular flange portion 30presenting a face 31 complementary to the annular shoulder 24 at theopening recess 23 of channel 20. On the valve head annular flange 30 atits face 31 is a valve seat ring 32 which is held in position by theresilient nature of the material thereof tending to retain it in crevice33 of the valve head 27. A washer 34 is disposed at the annular shoulder25 formed by the enlarged diameter portion of channel 20 to support aspring 35 therein in biasing relation against an inwardly facingshoulder 36 presented by an enlarged diameter portion at the outwardlyextending end of the valve stem 26, so that valve stem 26 is biased byspring 3 of the enlarged diameter portion of valve stem 26 is disposedfor reciprocation within the enlarged diameter of channel 20 and thevalve stem 26 is further formed at this length with a circumferentialgroove 37 in which a sealing ring 38, such as a conventional O ring, isdisposed to prevent fuel leakage outwardly in the channel 20 past valvestem 26. It should be further noted that the width of this valve stemgroove 37 substantially exceeds that of the sealing ring 38 so thatdisplacement of this sealing 38 upon reciprocation of the valve isminimized.

Over the upper surface of the center body section 19 a metal,fire-resistant body cap 39 is fixed as a protective cover. This body cap39 has a pair of spaced, parallel, knolls 40 formed adjacent one endthereof and in clined upwardly away from this end to have the adjacentedge of a hinged, fire-resistantftop cover cap 41 to ride thereon inopening and closing so as to facilitate its manipulation as pointed outfurther below. The metal body cap 39 is fixed to the center body section19 by means of a screw 42. The wick chamber 21 is formed in the centerbody section 19 beneath the body cap 39 and is Well-like in shape,having the previously mentioned aperture 22 in its bottom whichcommunicates with channel 20. The wick chamber 21 is sealed at its top,below the metal cap 39, by means of a seal plate 43 which is seated andsecured in place at a recess 43 formed in the top surface of the centerbody section, the seal plate 43 being apertured to receive a wick holder44 by which a wick 45 extending from the wick chamber 21 is supported.The major portion of wick chamber 21 is occupied by a relatively densestoragetype felt 46 surrounding the absorbing end of the wick 45. Theremaining portion of wick chamber 21, which extends the full heightthereof above the aperture 22 communicating with channel 20, isapproximately half occupied, longitudinally of the path of fuel transfertherethrough, by a wick-type felt 47 leaving the rest of this remainingchamber portion unoccupied so as to provide an air space, as indicatedat 48 in Fig. 6, from which air may be displaced by fuel transferredfrom the'fuel reservoir 10. The center body section 19 is also formed(compare Figs. 4 and 7), beneath the body cap 39 and adjacent the wickchamber 21, with an additional recess having a major cylindrical portion49 and a merging minor cylindrical portion 50 of smaller diameter, andthe body cap 39 has a first aperture 51 therein registering with theportions 49 and 50 of this recess as well as a second aperture 52aligned at the wick chamber 21 to receive the previously mentioned wickholder 44. Super imposed at the top surface of the body cap 39 is a baseplate portions 53 of a windguard structure which also includes a pair ofupstanding shield portions 54 spaced in opposed relation at the oppositesides of the base plate portion 53 in relation to an aperture '55therein register ing with the second body cap aperture 52 at the wickchamber 21, the windguard base plate portion 53 also being apertured at56 in registration with the first body cap aperture 51 at thecylindrical recess portions 49 and 50.

Overlying the windguard base plate portion 53 is a flexible spring arm57 whichis apertured at 58 adjacent one end in registration with thefirst body cap aperture 51 and intermediate its length at 59 in oversizealignment with the second body cap aperture 52. A look sleeve 60 isinserted in the recess portion 49 of body section 19 through the firstbody cap aperture 51 and the registering apertures 56 and 58 in thewindguard base 'plate portion 53 and the spring arm 57, and this locksleeve 60 is outwardly flanged at 61 over the spring arm 57 and clinchedor expanded at 62 below the body cap 39 so as to secure the spring arm57 and windguard structure on the body section 19 and additionally toform a mounting socket for a spark wheel assembly 63 as describedfurther below. The previously mentioned wick holder 44 is alsoshouldered at 64 to overlie the windguard base plate portion 53 at theaperture 55 and is likewise clinched or expanded at 65 below the bodycap 39 so as further to secure the windguard structure on the bodysection 19.

The spring arm 57 extends freely, from the point at which it is securedby the lock sleeve 60, between the upstanding shield portions 54 of thewindguard structure, with the oversize aperture 59 therein clearing theshouldered portion 64 of the wick holder 44, and with the free extendingendthereof having a hinge ey'e por tion 66 formed thereat to carry ahinge plate 67 by means of a hinge pin 68. The hinge plate 67 is securedto the previously mentioned top cover cap 41, which is formed with amouth that is coextensive in outline with the surface of the center bodysection 19 over which the body cap 39 is fixed, and which is carried bythe hinge plate 67 and spring arm 57 to close in alignment on thissurface over the spark wheel assembly 63 and the wick 45 and relatedwindguard structure to complete the body of the lighter. A snuffer cap69 is preferably carried within the cover cap 41 to telescopeindividually over the wick 45 in closed position to snuff the wick flamelocally. The top cover cap 41 is arranged so that it is biased to remainselectively at closed or open position by the flexible spring arm 57.For this purpose, the hinge plate 67 is secured to the cover cap 41 sothat the spring arm 57 is bowed upwardly to the point of assemblytherewith at the hinge pin 68 to provide sufficient spring action forbiasing the cover cap 41 about hinge pin 68 to remain securely in closedposition while at the same time being readily shiftable toward openposition whenever desired. In opening the cover cap 41, a verysubstantial mechanical advantage is available against the spring arm 57to provide the above noted ease of opening, but at the same time thebias of the spring arm 57 initially increases during the openingmovement so that the above notedsecure bias toward closed positionremains unless the cover cap 41 is purposely opened to the point wherethe bias thereon shifts toward maintaining it in open position. Thispoint is reached when the adjacent end edge of the cover pivots beneaththe hinge pin 68 so that the reach of the spring arm 57 extends beyondthis edge to reverse the bias on the cover cap 41. The pre viouslymentioned knolls 40 are formed in the surface of the body cap 39 to havethis adjacent pivoting edge of the cover cap 41 ride thereon so as toease the fric tional contact during pivoting, to provide a track-like'action at the pivoting edge that aids in maintaining the cover cap 41aligned with the body section 19, to support the cover cap 41 at an openposition well past so as not to interfere with the operation and use ofthe lighter, and to cause an increase in the bias of the spring arm 57as it approaches the point of reversal in either direction and therebyobtain a final snapping action from the spring arm 57 toward both theopen and closed positions of the cover cap 41.

The windguard structure arranged about the wick 45 and the related sparkwheel assembly 63, that are selectively enclosed by the top cover cap 41or exposed thereby for operation and use, both incorporate furtherparticularly advantageous features in accordance with the presentinvention. The spark wheel assembly 63 comprises a spark wheel holderhaving a yoke portion 70 in which a spark wheel 71 is rotatably mounted,and a tubular flint sleeve portion 72 through which a flint 73 may bepresented at the spark wheel 71. A closed end cover sleeve 74 isarranged in telescoping relation on the flint sleeve portion 72, and theflint sleeve portion 72 being threaded adjacent its extending end andthe cover sleeve 74 being correspondingly threaded adjacent its closedend for engagement to contain therein a flint follower 75 and a pressurespring 76. Pressure spring 76 is retained in cover sleeve 74 by means ofan expanded coil bearing against the inner wall of cover sleeve 74 andat its closed end. The flint follower is carried on the pressure Spring76 by means of its shank being disposed within the coils of pressurespring 76. By this arrangement the possibility of the pressure spring 76and flint follower 75 becoming removed from cover sleeve 74 whilereplacing a flint is obviated. The total length of the flint sleeveportion 72 and the cover sleeve 74 is proportioned to exceed that of thepressure spring 76 and flint follower 75 together with the flint 73, sothat the flint 73 may be replaced whenever necessary simply byunscrewing and removing the cover sleeve 74 with the pressure spring 76and flint follower 75 to allow installation of a new flint 73 in thetubular flint sleeve portion 72, after which the cover sleeve 74 may bepartially telescoped on the flint sleeve portion 72 to enclose thepressure spring 76 and flint follower 75 with the new flint 73 beforescrewing the cover sleeve 74 into plact and thereby avoid anytroublesome difliculty in con-v trolling the spring 76 while compressingit to working relation with the new flint 73.

The cover sleeve 74 is also proportioned for frictionally fitting bymeans of a longitudinal rib on its exterior the mounting socket formedby the lock sleeve 60 in the major portion 49 of the recess provided forthe spark wheel assembly 63 in the body section 19. -The lock sleeve 60also serves to partition the adjacent smaller recess portion 50 as aseparate chamber in which spare flints, as indicated at 73', may bestored, and this recess portion is also employed to receive at its upperend a positioning lug 77 formed at the bottom face of the spark wheelholder yoke portion 70 so as to key the spark wheel 71 in alignment withthe wick 45 and windguard shield portions 54, while allowing the sparkwheel assembly 63 to remain removable readily from the mounting socketformed by the lock sleeve 60.

The pair of upstanding imperforate windguard shield I portions 54 thatare spaced at opposite sides of the wick 45 are arranged parallel withthe alignment of the wick 45 and spark wheel 71. The end edges of eachshield portion 54 have upper portions 78 and 79 that are turned inwardlyin protective relation with respect to the wick 45, with the spark wheel71 extending between the adjacent turned in edge portions 78., Theremaining lower portions of these end edges are notched, as indicated at80 and 81, to provide a chimney effect about the wick 45 suiflcient toadmit rapidly within the space confined by the windguard portions 54 agreater quantity of air than is needed to maintain continuouscombustion. By this arrangement, theover-rich mixture that forms aboutthe wick 45 when the top cover cap 41 is closed can be leanedimmediately upon opening of cover cap 41 to prevent flashing of thelighter and provide satisfactory oper- I ation thereof under indoorconditions as well as outers.

This application is a division of my copending application Serial No.639,725, filed February 12, 1957, now Patent No. 2,881,608, and claimsonly the windguard structure comprised of a pair of upstandingimperforate shield members, the reciprocal valve arrangement to allowtransfer of fuel from the fuel reservoir to the wick chamber beingclaimed in copending application Serial No.

wick chamber and having an aperture opening into said wick chamber witha wick arranged in said chamber and extending therefrom through saidaperture, said body member having an adjacent recess to provide formounting a spark wheel assembly thereon in operating relation to saidextending wick, a windguard having a base plate opposite shield andinwardly from said end edges, a wick I holder housing said wick andinserted in said wick chamber through said windguard base plate portionand said cap portion aperture, said wick holder being shouldered tooverlie said base plate portion and having an expanded. portion in saidwick chamber inwardly of the cap portion aperture and enlarged withrespect to said capportion aperture to secure said windguard on saidbody member, and a spark wheel assembly frictionally mounted in saidbody recess and having its spark wheel disposed within the spaceprovided between the adjacent turned in edge portions of saidimperforate shields, said spaced and notched windguard arrangementproviding a chimney effect about said wick sufficient to admit rapidlywithin said windguard a greater quantity of air than is needed tomaintain continuous combustion, and said imperforate shield portionsproviding a protective sheltering cover for the spark produced in theproximity of the wick by manual operation of said spark wheel.

2. In a cigarette lighter of the character described, a body memberhaving formed therein a wick chamber, a cap portion on said body memberextending over said wick chamber and having an aperture opening intosaid wick chamber with a wick arranged in said chamber and extendingtherefrom through said aperture, said body member having an adjacentrecess to provide for mounting a spark wheel assembly thereon inoperating relation to said extending wick, a windguard having a baseplate portion superimposed on said cap portion and having apertures inregistration with said recess and said cap portion aperture, saidwindguard further having a pair of upstanding shields spaced in opposedrelation at opposite sides of said base plate portion outwardly of saidwick, a wick holder housing said wick and inserted in said wick chamberthrough said windguard base plate portion and said cap portion aperture,said wick holder being shouldered to overlie said base plate portion andhaving an expanded portion in said wick chamber inwardly of the capportion aperture and enlarged with respect to said cap portion apertureto secure said windguard on said body member, and a spark wheel assemblyfrictionally mounted in said body recess and having its spark wheeldisposed within the space provided between 639,725, and the structuralrelation of the sparkwheel asthe adjacent hi ld sembly and the manner inwhich said assembly is retained in the body of the lighter being claimedin application Serial No. 757,410, filed August 26, 1958.

The present invention has been described in detail hereinabove forpurposes of illustration only and is not intended to be limited by thisdescription or otherwise except as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a cigarette lighter of the character described, a body memberhaving formed therein a wick chamber, a cap portion on said body memberextending over said References Cited in the file of this patent UNITEDSTATES PATENTS

